THURSDAY, 3:53pm: Williams distanced himself from the notion that he’d like to head to the Lakers in comments he made during an appearance on Fox Sports Radio, according to Sports Xchange.

“I’ve always felt like that I’m a college coach and that’s where I belong,” Williams said. “Mitch Kupchak is one of my best friends in the whole wide world, there’s no question there, but I’m a college guy and if somebody calls and offers me the greatest job in the world, it better be really good because I feel like I’ve got about the greatest job in the world.”

MONDAY, 7:00pm: The Lakers reportedly want to make a splash with their next coaching hire and the latest name in the mix would certainly accomplish that. General Manager Mitch Kupchak & Co. want to speak with North Carolina head coach Roy Williams at some point, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter).

As Bresnahan notes (link), Williams declined to discuss the Lakers’ job in 2004, one year after he left Kansas for UNC. While the Lakers like Williams and can see him making the transition to the NBA, there’s no rush to talk to him as they have a slow timetable to make their hire. Over the course of his college coaching career, Williams has racked up a 724–190 record, good for a .792 win percentage. UNC finished the 2013/14 regular season tied for third in the ACC and saw their season end at the hands of Iowa State in the Round of 32.

Other candidates linked to the Lakers job have included George Karl, Jeff Van Gundy, Byron Scott, Kurt Rambis, Kevin Ollie, and John Calipari.